Destination guide
Madison Park, Seattle: The Beach, 42nd Ave, and Where to Stay
Updated August 2026
Madison Park is one of Seattle's smallest, quietest neighborhoods -- a lakefront pocket built around a public swimming beach and a few blocks of shops, reached for over a century by the same route that gave the area its "end of the line" feel.
Madison Park Beach The neighborhood's namesake: a public swimming beach and bathhouse on Lake Washington, with two tennis courts, a playground, and mountain views across the water. The current bathhouse dates to 1919 -- the land itself was set aside for public use decades earlier by the judge who developed the neighborhood.
42nd Ave E A short, walkable strip of shops and restaurants directly across from the beach -- Madison Park's version of a town center, largely unchanged in feel since the neighborhood's earliest days as a lakeside resort.
Points of interest
Madison Park Beach
4201 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112
A ~400-ft swimming beach and 1919 bathhouse on Lake Washington, with two tennis courts, a playground, and lake-and-mountain views.
- Open 4am-11:30pm daily
- Lifeguards on duty in summer
- Street parking only
42nd Ave E Business District
42nd Ave E & E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112
A compact, walkable strip of shops and restaurants right across the street from the beach -- the neighborhood's commercial core since the early 1900s.
Eat & drink
Cactus
4220 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112
A longtime Southwestern/Mexican restaurant right on the beach strip, open since 1990.
Bert's Red Apple Market
1801 41st Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
A long-running, locally owned neighborhood grocery with a deli counter -- the practical stop for provisions during a stay.
- Open daily 7am-9pm
Quick facts
- Madison Park Beach
- ~400 ft of swimming beach on Lake Washington; bathhouse built 1919
- Named for
- Judge John J. McGilvra, who platted the neighborhood in the 1860s-80s and set aside land for public use
- Parks transfer
- Shore, bathhouse, and grounds transferred to Seattle Parks Dept. in 1922
- Insider tip
- Parking is street-only, so this beach never gets as crowded as Seattle's more famous Lake Washington spots.
Useful links
Where to stay
Sikes Vacations has a stay here, booked directly with no platform fee added at checkout:
See real-time pricing for these, or everything else Sikes Vacations has, on the rates & availability page.
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